Fairmont Kea Lani review – The Points Guy

What is the Fairmont Kea Lani?

Set on more than 20 acres, the Fairmont Kea Lani boasts just over 400 suites and villas on the pristine Polo Beach in Wailea, about 30 minutes south of Maui’s Kahului Airport (OGG). The resort has a casual elegance about it, detectable from the moment you arrive in the lobby and when you enter your guest room for the first time. It feels familiar, comfortable and like home — only fancier. (And my home doesn’t offer expansive ocean views from almost every window.)

Designed as an all-suite resort, Fairmont Kea Lani caters to everyone from honeymooners to families and multigenerational travelers. The villas are specially designed for families, and they feature full kitchens, living rooms, indoor and outdoor dining areas and laundry rooms.

The grounds are lush and beautiful — exactly what you would expect for a tropical escape. One of the best parts about this property is that you are never a far walk from anything; the main building houses all of the restaurants, spa and fitness center, and there’s a short path to the villas and beach. With three pools (including one adults-only pool), a 140-foot waterslide from the upper to lower Lagoon pool, cabanas for rent and a full slate of activities, there are plenty of ways to fill your days at the Fairmont Kea Lani.

How to book Fairmont Kea Lani

A breathtaking beachfront location 

As previously mentioned, the resort is about 30 minutes south of Maui’s Kahului Airport (OGG). You can connect to the rental car center from the terminal via a tram if renting a car. A rental car is a great option if you decide to venture off the resort grounds and experience Maui’s Upcountry or its many other beaches and local restaurants. The resort also has an Avis Rental Car outpost in the lobby for daily or weekly rentals.

Arrival experience

Upon entering the lush oasis that is the Fairmont Kea Lani (which we reached via a quiet driveway), a bellhop greeted us and offered assistance with our luggage. Another guest experience staff member greeted us with leis and offered our daughter a whale’s tale carved necklace. The trip was already off to a great start, and we hadn’t even stepped into the gorgeous lobby yet.

We made a quick stop at the front desk and were welcomed by the villa experience team. They informed us that drinks would be replenished daily in our villa fridge and that breakfast was included as part of the villa stay; they also explained that the team would be just a phone call away if we needed anything.

During the golf cart ride down to the villa, a bellhop provided a brief property tour, pointing out locations as we went along. Once inside the villa, he provided an overview of the villa’s features and amenities.

Spectacular oceanfront villas

If you’ve ever wondered what living on the ocean in a villa would be like, this is your chance. We spent three glorious nights in a newly renovated, expansive two-bedroom, two-bath, 1,800-square-foot oceanfront villa with a private plunge pool and lanai. This would be my ideal living situation — falling asleep to the sound of the ocean every night and knowing the water is just steps from your patio door. It was heaven.

Villa guests enjoy certain resort amenities included with their stay, such as daily breakfast at Kea Lani Restaurant and valet parking. The villa itself also included a barbecue grill on the lanai, two lounge chairs and an outdoor dining table. The staff stocked the kitchen refrigerator with beverages and snacks, and the kitchen was fully equipped for cooking. The villa team can also assist with arranging grocery deliveries.

A large granite dining table was between the kitchen and living area. The living room furnishings included a sectional sofa and comfy chair, a flat-screen TV and a ceiling fan.

The primary suite with a king bed was on the villa’s upper floor (the floor you enter from the outside stairs down to the villa). The room also included a writing desk and chair, a chaise lounge and a small patio with a lounger.

Ample charging locations for devices were built into the nightstands and TV stand, making it easy to charge multiple devices for a family (not that you’ll need them when you’re enjoying the resort!).

A lower-floor bedroom off the kitchen and living area offered two queen beds, a full closet and a bathroom. Each bedroom included ample closet space (a large walk-in closet was upstairs for the primary suite) and a full bathroom with a tub and walk-in travertine shower.

Dual sinks with marble countertops offered plenty of space for travel kits.

Alongside the Le Labo bath amenities were bottles of ocean-safe Project Reef mineral sunscreen and after-sun lotion on the bathroom counters — a thoughtful touch.

One of my favorite amenities was being able to do laundry in our villa halfway through our trip (this is also how you know you’re over 40). The stackable washer and dryer were in the utility room, along with an ironing board and iron.

Drinking and dining

Maui offers outdoor dining weather year-round, so you can feel the ocean breeze while enjoying a cocktail, dinner and a gorgeous sunset no matter the season. The Fairmont Kea Lani has multiple options for dinner, all with ocean views (in addition to room service). Overall, the food quality everywhere on the property was exceptional — even if you are not a seafood lover, you will not go hungry while staying here.

An added bonus is that kids under 5 eat free when dining with a registered guest through the resort’s Keiki (kids) dining program at Ko, Kea Lani Restaurant and AMA Bar and Grill (restaurant only, no poolside dining). Kids 6 to 12 may order from the Keiki menu at regular price or select items from the full menu and receive 50% off.

Dinner in Ko Restaurant

Ko features a fusion menu of Hawaiian, Asian and South Pacific flavors in an open-air concept space with mostly patio seating. It’s on the ground level of the main building overlooking the gardens, the adult pool and the ocean. The restaurant is open for happy hour, dinner and Sunday brunch.

To start, we shared the crispy shrimp with a Maui lavender honey sauce, candied macadamia nuts and smashed sesame cucumbers ($30). The flavors were a great complement to each other — it was savory and a bit sweet at the same time.

Our dinner choices were the surf and turf special of the night ($57) and the Korean braised short ribs ($58). The surf and turf was a bowl of Asian noodles tossed with bok choy, green beans, red peppers and sauteed shrimp. Perfectly cooked medium-rare slices of ribeye and a chimichurri sauce were sitting on top of the noodles. The Korean braised short ribs were served with carrots, baby bok choy and kimchi fried rice. Both dishes were full of flavor, and we had plenty to share.

Breakfast buffet at Kea Lani Restaurant

A villa stay includes daily breakfast at Kea Lani Restaurant. The buffet was plentiful and catered to many different tastes — there were displays of sliced meat, cheeses, artisan bread and pastries, along with Asian-style udon vegetarian noodles and miso salmon, chicken potstickers and miso soup.

Each morning, a generous selection was available, from waffles, pancakes and made-to-order omelets to bacon, Portuguese sausage, scrambled eggs and egg whites. Continental options included cereals, yogurts, granola, dried fruits and fresh sliced fruits.

Pilina ocean-view lobby bar

Serving lunch and dinner, Pilina is an open-air lobby bar with gorgeous ocean views. The menu offers local drinks, fresh seafood, sushi, and a selection of meat and fish you can cook at your table on a hot rock. Just outside the entrance are swinging chairs which proved to be my daughter’s favorite spot to visit besides the pool slide and beach.

The drink menu includes a global wine selection, locally made and Japanese sake, a selection of spirits from Hawaiian distilleries, beer from Maui Brewing Company and cocktails. Try the Mauka cocktail ($24) — which means “toward the mountains” — which mixes Fy Hawaii gin, Ohia Lehua honey, ginger, lemon, smoked Big Island bee pollen, angostura bitters and lavender from the Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm we visited earlier in the day.

For dinner, we enjoyed a selection of salmon sashimi ($27), rainbow rolls ($37) and edamame ($16) to start, followed by venison sliders with yuzu tomato jam aioli on Hawaiian sweet rolls ($26). The special sushi roll of the night was recommended by our server and turned out to be our favorite — a lobster, avocado, cucumber roll with soy sauce poke on top with ogo, cilantro microgreens and garlic chips ($37).

I love it when resorts have amazing lobby bars for a casual dinner, and Pilina definitely checked all the boxes thanks to its relaxing atmosphere, great drink menu and delicious food.

Cultural preservation and family-friendly activities

In 2024, the resort unveiled a new cultural center in the lobby, and it’s suitable for all ages. The Cultural Center at the Kea Lani is even more significant now because so many invaluable Hawaiian artifacts and historical documents were lost in the Lahaina wildfires.

The center offers classes such as hula dancing and ukulele lessons. Plus, it includes a permanent display of Hawaiian artifacts — such as feather headdresses worn by royalty, jewelry made from seashells, ceremonial accompaniments and musical instruments — that were handmade by Maui artisans who replicated the traditional methods of creating them.

Kamahiwa Kawaʻa, the head of the cultural center, explained that everything on display is meant to be explored and used — allowing guests to experience the culture and history firsthand.

We also had fun experiencing the daily koi fish feeding at 9 a.m. (geared toward younger guests). Kids 10 and over might like the stargazing event twice a week on the lawn or the outrigger excursions offered a few times each morning.

Stargazing in Hawaii is particularly unique since you are on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with very little light pollution. If you live in an urban area, you might have never seen the Milky Way or shooting stars. It’s worth it to try the high-powered telescope the astronomer brings to see planets and nebulae.

A swim with sea turtles is a great way to start the morning, and the outrigger excursion (ages 10 and up, reservation required) was an informative cultural activity that lasted about an hour. It began with an explanation of how the Hawaiian people traditionally used canoes for recreation and fishing.

After a traditional Hawaiian prayer and blowing of the conch, the outrigger shoved off Polo Beach and out into the ocean. We paddled in unison for about 15 minutes before stopping to gaze down at the reef below and ease into the water with goggles for a swim. If you’re lucky, you’ll even get to see some turtles.

Cool off at the beach or pool

The main pool (suitable for all ages and families) is divided into the upper pool and lower pool, with a slide connecting the two. Pool cabanas are available in both areas, and rental fees start from $350 per day. The AMA Bar and Grill at the upper pool serves casual Hawaiian fare and also offers happy hour, a swim-up bar and patio dining.

The adults-only pool is closer to the main building, facing Ko Restaurant and the Kea Lani breakfast patio.

Cabana rentals come with a bento box of edamame and fresh pineapple to snack on, as well as a soft-sided cooler stocked with ice, water, juices and sodas. Pool attendants regularly make the rounds checking on guests and, in the afternoon, bring around frozen chocolate mochi bites for everyone to enjoy.

Pool amenities include refillable bottles of mineral sunscreen, a retail shop where you can purchase goggles, sunglasses, pool floats and toys; there’s also a scuba desk where you can arrange lessons.

Down at Polo Beach, there’s an expansive verdant lawn for activities like watching the sunset, morning yoga or for kids to play. Guests who wish to borrow kayaks or stand-up paddleboards can do so free of charge from the beach.

Relax at the Willow Stream Spa

Willow Stream Spa is a signature of Fairmont properties with exceptional customer service and treatments. The spa at this property — which is slated to be renovated later this year — features 13 treatment rooms, a full salon and boutique, oceanfront and poolside spa cabanas, and multiple relaxation areas.

For my treatment, I chose the Natural Hawaiian Journey (120 minutes, $465), which features locally grown ingredients that native Hawaiians use to maintain health and well-being. I also chose to add on a Knesko collagen face mask ($55).

After my treatment, my skin felt hydrated and relaxed. My therapist, Kellie, provided expert recommendations for my skin type and ways to maintain my post-spa glow.

Be sure to leave yourself time to experience the other parts of the spa, from the relaxation room to the healing clay and steam room to the experiential showers — an “afternoon thunderstorm” shower was quite the trip.

Accessibility

The Fairmont Kea Lani is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as it offers pool chair lifts, wide entrances and wide pathways. The main building has elevators for access to the shops, restaurants, fitness center and pools.

Wide pathways connect the main building to the pools, villas and beach. A select number of single-story, ocean-view villas are accessible from the main pathways without having to navigate steps.

As always, TPG recommends calling the hotel ahead of your stay to ensure they can meet your accessibility needs.

Checking out

After enjoying our last sunset at Polo Beach, the villa team called to arrange assistance with luggage and a golf cart ride up to the front of the resort for the next day. When it was time to leave, we were sad to say goodbye to our new oceanfront home away from home, but the aloha spirit of the Fairmont Kea Lani staff remains until our next visit.

Related reading: